Title: Noncommunicable (chronic) diseases- An International Perspective<br/>Author: Jon Mark Hirshon<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/faculty/96/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p>
        <strong>Background: </strong>While much of international health focuses on communicable diseases, it is clear that noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes, causes substantial morbidity and mortality.</p>
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        <strong>Epidemiology: </strong></p>
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                NCDs kill 38 million people each year
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                                Approximately 28 million of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.</li>
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                Of the 38 million deaths, 16 million of these deaths occur in patients <70 years of age
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                                82% of these “premature” deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries</li>
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                Causes of NCD deaths
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                                Cardiovascular diseases (heart attacks and strokes): 17.5 million</li>
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                                Cancers: 8.2 million</li>
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                                Chronic respiratory diseases (COPD and asthma): 4 million</li>
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                                Diabetes: 1.5 million</li>
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        <strong>Bottom line:</strong> As in developed countries, risk factors for NCDs deaths include physical in activity, tobacco use, unhealthy diabetes, harmful use of alcohol.</p>
<fieldset><legend>References</legend>

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        http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs355/en/</p>
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